My Prayer to the Muses

I read the War of Art and it gave me the idea to say a little prayer to the Muses before I started my writing sessions. This idea really resonated with me, taking hold over a few days, so I sat down and wrote one. Now I say it before every writing session. I say it absolutely seriously and with respect to powers greater than myself.

Whatever you choose to call those powers makes no difference. Every artist who goes at it long enough feels it. Creativity comes through us, but it is not of us. They may call it the Great Spirit or God or angels or the creative force or chi. It doesn’t matter. This is just us projecting our tiny minds onto something more mysterious and infinitely more complex than us. Every pro writer knows that they aren’t really creating anything, they’re just taking dictation. All we have to do is get out of our own way long enough to let the creative force flow through and onto the page.

I’ve come to see the Muse as a real thing, formless, eternal, there for any artist who calls out to it with sincerity and humility, something that guides and gives endless gifts to those who can hear its whisper, gifts that come in the form of constant serendipity for your work. To hear her speak you need only quiet your mind and let go and then she goes to work in your life.

Feel free to take this poem as your own. I believe it brings joy to the Muse to hear it and she in turn brings creative energy to me. Also feel free to alter it. Some of it addresses personal struggles that I face, that you may not. At my worst, I tend to see the world filled with divine malevolence and I asked the Muse to free me from this horribly limiting view. I’m sure you have your own demons. Ask for help with them, in the most humble way that you can. Never demand. Remember, the creative force wants to help, but it’s not fan of arrogance or ignorance.

Dan,
I love your Prayer to the Muses, and try to invoke it each time I write. I, too read The War of Art, and now understand the essential need for Divine intervention in the creative process. Your prayer, written with humility and foresight, conveys such a thoughtful understanding of this truth that it seems certain to afford me a measure of Universal aid commensurate to the effort I apply. And for a novice writer, I’ll take all the help I can get! Thanks so much for your selfless contribution, Chuck